Former B.C. health minister Terry Lake acclaimed as federal Liberal candidate in Kamloops

Former BC Liberal health minister Terry Lake will carry the federal Liberal banner into October’s election.

The veterinarian, three-term BC Liberal MLA and former Kamloops mayor was acclaimed Tuesday evening at an event in Kamloops with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Lake cited the Liberals’ plan to address climate change as what brought him out of political retirement and called the environment a ballot issue in the coming vote.

“(We have) a party that wants to take action on climate change and one that hasn’t revealed a plan of action. A party that wants to ensure families get ahead versus a party that says government shouldn’t have anything to do with social programs. I think there’s a very stark choice here,” Lake said.

Lake will run in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where he will face off against Conservative MP Cathy McLeod.

He’s likely facing an uphill battle. The riding is a Conservative stronghold that the Liberals haven’t won in about 40 years.

Prior to his return to politics, Lake was working in the medical cannabis industry, where he served as vice-president of corporate social responsibility with Quebec-based Hydropothecary.

—With files from the Canadian Press